Peacekeeper Just That: A Peacekeeper

April 21, 1988|By Lt. Col. Paul E. Sjordal, Director of public affairs, Midwest Region, Department of the Air Force.

CHICAGO — As usual, your military writer-columnist David Evans was neither accurate nor well-informed in his article (``Missiles, accuracy and several kinds of overkill,`` April 1) about why the United States needs the extraordinary accuracy of the Peacekeeper missile.

First, the Peacekeeper was not designed to be used primarily against Soviet missile silos, although the missile would be quite effective in destroying these assets in retaliation after a pre-emptive Soviet attack. From a strategic standpoint, it is not reasonable to assume all Soviet missiles would go on the first volley. There still would be numerous missile-laden silos kept in reserve after a first strike. It is not just the accuracy of Peacekeeper, but also the prompt response and rapid retargeting ability of the missile that serves as a deterrent to such an attack.

Few, if any, military experts besides Mr. Evans would view 1,000 warheads on 100 missiles as enough for it to be even remotely considered a ``first-strike`` system. The Soviets have far more silos than there are Peacekeeper warheads, not counting all the other military, industrial and economic assets that would require the accuracy of the Peacekeeper for a successful first strike.

Over the past 10 years the Soviet Union has indeed hardened its missile silos. But that nation has also continued its extensive efforts to harden command, control and communication facilities, leadership bunkers (where government and military leaders would go in time of war) and many industrial and economic assets as well. Only Peacekeeper has the accuracy to deal with these vital military targets, assets the Soviets hold most dear due to the fact that the centralized government of the Soviet Union makes survival of these facilities and personnel of upmost importance.

Further, Mr. Evans` claim that ``the cheaper Minuteman can do the job``

leaves out a very important point. While Minuteman is still a very capable system, it must be remembered that it is approaching its maximum useful life. Indeed, we are rapidly approaching the point where sons and daughters will be standing alert in the same launch facilities where their fathers once were stationed.

The deployment of 100 Peacekeeper missiles is a modernization program, first and foremost. The United States has not deployed any new strategic missiles since the early 1970s, while the Soviets have deployed more than 1,000 SS-17s, SS-18s and SS-19s and are in the process of deploying two new missile systems, the road-mobile SS-25 and the rail-mobile SS-24.

If Mr. Evans were a reporter rather than a columnist, it is hoped he would take more time researching his material. A case in point: There are no strategic missile silos in the state of Minnesota as Mr. Evans stated in his column. A simple telephone call to Air Force public affairs at the Pentagon or my office in Chicago would have revealed this.